Regular exercise program may stall cognitive decline: Study

Over 55 million people live with dementia worldwide, and there are nearly 10 million new cases every year.

An increasing amount of evidence also demonstrates that maintaining physical activity in midlife and beyond may help preserve cognitive capacity and prevent dementia.

Recently, researchers investigated the effects of different forms of physical and mental activity on dementia risk.

They found that activities including frequent exercise, household chores, and daily visits to family and friends lowered dementia risk.

The study appears in the journal Neurology.

For the study, the researchers analyzed healthcare data from 501,376 participants in the UK Biobank cohort. Participants were an average of 56.5 years old at recruitment and were followed for an average of 10.7 years.

Those most engaged in frequent exercise, household chores, and daily visits by friends and family had a 35%, 21%, and 15% lower risk of dementia compared to those least engaged in these activities.

The researchers further found that physical and mental activity protected against dementia among all participants- regardless of their genetic risk or family history of the condition.

They also found that visiting the pub and watching TV were linked to a higher risk of dementia.

Source: Medical News Today

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